The Browns should probably have sent Baker Mayfield some flowers to smooth things over. Instead, they sent him away.
Mayfield was traded to the Panthers on Wednesday after months of speculation that he would be dealt. Cleveland ultimately agreed to send him to Carolina, even though keeping the former first overall pick always had the potential to be a blessing in disguise.
With Deshaun Watson facing a lengthy suspension stemming from his legal troubles, the Browns have many questions at quarterback. As they assessed their options at the position, they held out hope that they could perhaps mend fences with Mayfield for at least another season and fill in for Watson in his absence.
However, Mayfield wanted out, so the Browns were forced to move him for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Cleveland is set to pay $10.5 million of Mayfield’s salary in 2022 instead of the $18.858 million they would have owed him for the full season.
The fact is that Cleveland is now without Mayfield and may potentially be without its $230 million man for the upcoming season, as well. If Watson is suspended long-term, the Browns will likely make another move before the start of training camp.
Here’s how their current depth chart shakes out.
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Browns QB depth chart
The Browns currently have three passers rostered: Deshaun Watson, Jacoby Brissett and Joshua Dobbs. It’s unclear whether Watson will be able to start for the team as he faces a suspension.
1. Deshaun Watson
The Browns made a big-time trade to acquire Watson during the 2022 NFL offseason. The hope is that he will become the team’s franchise quarterback long-term. However, he may not end up playing at all in 2022.
Watson is facing a suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy and it could be a lengthy one. This shouldn’t surprise the Browns. They knew about the sexual assault and misconduct allegations against Watson when they traded for him, and that’s what made their decision to give him a fully guaranteed $230 million deal so questionable.
If Watson can get on the field, he should be a strong starter for Cleveland. He completed 70.2 percent of his passes for an NFL-high 4,823 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2020 before missing the 2021 season amid a dispute with the Texans.
Still, there’s no guarantee that Watson will play in 2022. And with Mayfield no longer an option to play in place of him, the Browns may be forced to rely on their Plan C at quarterback.
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2. Jacoby Brissett
The journeyman backup is now on his third team in as many seasons after getting a nice, two-year $30 million payday from the Colts, but reports indicate that the Browns would actually be comfortable giving it a go with Brissett as their starter for the 2022 season.
That’s not all a bad idea, at all: Brissett has played well in spurts throughout his career and taking snaps in an offense that leans heavily on the run, taking pressure off of him, is a good idea. They’ll still have a top-10 defense that should help keep pressure on opposing offenses, too.
3. Joshua Dobbs
Dobbs is familiar with the AFC North, as he spent time with the Steelers, playing in six games with the Steelers between 2018 and 2020. Dobbs, though, hasn’t played in a game since 2020 and has only attempted 17 passes in his career. He’d be a fine backup to Brissett, but unless he has some sort of football enlightening, no one should expect him to take the job this summer.
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Browns QB options
There are still some intriguing passers on the market, both via free agency and trade, who the Browns could target to shore up the depth chart:
— The Browns are working out a number of quarterbacks ahead of training camp: Veterans A.J. McCarron and former first-round pick Josh Rosen are two, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
— Former NFL MVP Cam Newton is still a free agent, and he seemingly has had a change of heart in regards to what he feels his role could be with an organization.
— Mike Glennon has played meaningful snaps in the last few years. But then again, it’s Mike Glennon.
— It’s not uncommon for teams to trade for backups and insurance during preseason:
- Jets backup Mike White could “garner some trade interest” with a strong summer;
- A Sam Darnold trade would be a sidestep, and something not likely;
- No way would a Jimmy Garoppolo deal get done — not unless he was released and signed at a discount.
The Sporting News’ Jacob Camenker also contributed to this report.
